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四面楚歌

sì miàn Chǔ gēdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. on all sides, the songs of Chu (idiom) / fig. surrounded by enemies, isolated and without help
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-ad51f1e82648e74d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

四面楚歌 四面楚歌 [si4 mian4 Chu3 ge1] /lit. on all sides, the songs of Chu (idiom)/fig. surrounded by enemies, isolated and without help/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 四
    sì

    four / 4

  • 面
    miàn

    face / side / surface / aspect / top / classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc / flour / noodles / (of food) soft (not crunchy) / (slang) (of a person) ineffectual / spineless

  • 楚
    chǔ

    distinct / clear / orderly / pain / suffering / deciduous bush used in Chinese medicine (genus Vitex) / punishment cane (old)

    Chǔ

    surname Chu / abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hú běi Shěng] and Hunan 湖南省[Hú nán Shěng] provinces together / Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–221 BC)

  • 歌
    gē

    song (CL:首[shǒu],支[zhī]) / (bound form) to sing

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.